Jackson tackles new job
Retired Kiwi rugby referee Glen Jackson has been confirmed as Sanzaar’s first tackle technique review officer. Player welfare and preventing dangerous high tackles remains a high priority for Sanzaar and World Rugby as the game looks to reduce the number of concussions that occur. Super Rugby will feature a tackle technique review process trial in 2020. Jackson, the former Chiefs, Bay of Plenty, and Waikato first five, and recently retired international referee, will begin work from round one. The 2018 New Zealand referee of the year, Jackson missed out on last year’s Rugby World Cup and hung up the whistle in January after 25 years in professional rugby as a player and referee.
The Melbourne Aces have held on to beat the Auckland Tuatara 5-4 in a close playoff opener in Melbourne on Thursday night. A costly fourrun second inning proved the difference as the Aces erased an early Tuatara score Lefty starter Kyohei Muranaka battled hard for the visitors but made a couple of errors in that second inning while he also wasn’t helped by his defence. Junya Michihara was impressive in relief throwing three shut-out innings while Elliot Johnstone also contributed a scoreless frame at the end of the game.
Kiwi midfielder Bundee Aki is determined to use Ireland’s Six Nations campaign for a fresh start after a red card cost him a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal match against the All Blacks. Aki had to watch from the stands after copping a three-match ban when he was sent off for a high tackle in the final pool match against Samoa. Ireland’s new head coach Andy Farrell has shown faith in the New Zealander, restoring him to the second five-eighths role for the Six Nations opener against Scotland in Dublin tomorrow. Aki said this week the disappointment of his red card ‘‘does linger for a while’’. ‘‘I have that in the back of my head, knowing what happened in the past, knowing that it’s going to sit with you for a while but still be able to focus on the next moment because you can’t let that affect the way you play, and keep affecting the way you play.’’